Once, there was a teacher. People from nearby villages visited the teacher to seek advice for their problems. The teacher and his students used to listen, ponder, and offer solutions -- the best they could.
One of the students, who participated in many of these discussions, became impatient.
"These people are so ignorant.” He used to shake his head, then cry out with frustration. "There is so much ignorance in the world!”
His teacher noticed this. He advised his student against his behavior of looking down on other people. But in vain.
One day, the student and the teacher were on their daily stroll. They came across a large hall, and went in. It was evening, and the hall was dark inside.
"There is so much darkness in here!" said the teacher.
"Yes, there is." The student agreed.
“Oh, there is so much darkness in here!” the teacher repeated, frustration in his voice.
The student was confused. He looked at his teacher, and repeated “Yes teacher, indeed, there is much darkness."
His teacher did not seem to hear, and repeated. “So much darkness. Oh, so much darkness in this hall!”.
The teacher kept on complaining, louder and louder. He sounded very frustrated.
This went on for quite a while. Finally, the student was out of his wits. Irritated, he asked: "Yes, there is darkness, master. But why are you complaining about it again and again?"
"Because I want this darkness to go away."
The student laughed. “We need lamps to brighten this place. Standing here, shouting and complaining, will not make the darkness go away."
The teacher smiled. "The same is with the ignorance -- it will not go away by complaining aloud. We have to spread the knowledge. With the help of knowledge, even the most ignorant person can become Scholar."
The student never complained about the villagers’ ignorance again. Rather, he helped his teacher in his work.